Batting

MORRISVILLE, N.Y. – Host Morrisville State College softball earned a double-header split with cross town rival SUNY Polytechnic Tuesday afternoon, falling in game one by a 3-1 late visitor rally before rebounding in game two to hold on for the 3-2 win in North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) action in Morrisville.

The win is the fourth for the Mustangs in three games, as they improve their overall record to 4-18, 4-10 in NEAC action. SUNY Polytechnic drops to 11-13 overall, 6-8 in conference play.

In game one of the day, SUNY Poly took an early 1-0 lead on an error in left field and were held scoreless until the top of the sixth when they capitalized on another Mustang error for the 2-0 lead.

Senior second baseman Paula Conklin (Sparrowbush, N.Y.) registered one of five Mustang hits across the contest, including a bunt that out ran down the line in the bottom of the sixth leading off for the hosts.

After a sacrifice hit by Holly Gamlen (Cazenovia, N.Y.) to advance Conklin to second, Elizabeth Marr (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) shot a double down the left line plating Conklin, cutting the deficit to a one run game.

Nicole Chiappetta (Trumball, Conn.) hit a single to left field advancing Marr to third, but Poly was able to close out the inning with two straight outs on pop ups to second.

The Wildcats added to their total in the top of the seventh, again taking advantage of an error in the outfield and collecting the score on a single sent up the middle of the field.

Allison McGuire (Gilboa, N.Y.) kicked off the inning with a single to center field and reached second after a sac bunt on the ensuing batter, but that's as close as Morrisville State would get as Poly retired the next two batters.

Marr went 2-for-3 from the plate for the Mustangs, posting the team's lone RBI, while Conklin went 1-for-3 with a run.

McGuire recorded the loss on the mound, holding the Wildcats to just two hits and one earned run.

In the nightcap, Morrisville State scored three in the first two innings and withstood a late Poly rally to capture the program's first win over the Wildcats, a 3-2 final decision.

Liz Miller (East Greenbush, N.Y.) kicked off game two with a single to the left side of the field, and later scored after Marr doubled to left center, giving the hosts the 1-0 lead after the opening inning.

Morrisville State added to their lead in the bottom of the second, as Erika Kenney (Duanesburg, N.Y.) rifled a single to right center, recording the RBI as Bailey Dillabough (Massena, N.Y.) crossed the plate at home after reaching on a fielding error in the Mustangs first at bat of the inning.

Miller recorded her second hit of the game, a single up the middle, before Conklin registered an RBI with a single down the left line to score Kenney for the 3-0 Mustang lead.

Morrisville State held the three run advantage until Poly broke through in the top of the sixth with two straight hits, before scoring one after tagging up on the fly out to center field.

Poly put together a late rally in the top of the seventh, scoring their leadoff batter on a throwing error. After driving one up the middle to place one on base with two outs, Morrisville State faced the top of the batting order. The single was rifled to a diving Gamlen at short who lunged towards second for the third and final out, securing the win for the Mustangs.

Miller finished 2-for-3 from the plate, while Conklin went 1-for-2 with an RBI.

Kenney, who was 1-for-3 with an RBI and run scored, also threw the win on the mound, allowing two earned runs while registering two strikeouts.

The Mustangs will face SUNY Poly again in just two days, traveling to the Wildcats on Thursday for the double header slated to begin at 3 p.m.

Morrisville State College's curricula are enriched with applied learning and pave the way for opportunity at both the Morrisville and Norwich campuses. An action-oriented, interactive learning lab, the college is a national leader in technology and has been lauded for its exemplary, innovative and effective community service programs.

The college was ranked among the Best Regional Colleges in the North by U.S. News and World Report Best Colleges 2016 issue and was also recognized in the Top Public Schools, Regional Colleges North in the 2016 Best Colleges rankings. For more information about Morrisville State College, visit www.morrisville.edu.